Meet Kay Gibson
Kay Gibson’s connection to and love of Maine began in the late 1940s with her first visit, literally over the rivers and through the mountainous woods from upstate New York to her grandmother’s home in Fryeburg. Her reconnection as an adult began on board a boat moored in Camden Harbor while waiting for the completion of a new home. That summer of 1987, she and her husband, Dana, bought thirty acres in Searsmont. What started as a weekend retreat became a 165-acre preserve with over four miles of trails, which now annually welcomes hundreds of visitors.
Kay and Dana seasonally hunted and fished in Maine’s western mountains. Since the inception of High Peaks Alliance, Kay, now widowed, has been instrumental in helping the Alliance protect places like the Perham Stream Birding Trail. Her journey from boat dweller to conservation champion offers a roadmap for anyone who’s loved a place and wondered how to protect it.
Kay recently shared a letter about her legacy gift to Georges River Land Trust, which cares for Gibson Preserve. That letter inspired this conversation about how she and Dana moved from seeking privacy to giving it all away, and why she believes everyone can play a part in conservation.
📸 Kay and Dana Gibson, Blue Ridge Mountains
Where the Heart Is
You once wrote that Maine was “where your hearts wanted to take us.” What was it about this place that called to you and your late husband, Dana, before you even lived here?
My maternal grandmother lived in Fryeburg when I was a child. Dana’s grandparents summered on an island in Penobscot Bay. When the time was right, moving to Maine always felt like we had come home.
Can you take us back to a specific moment when you felt deeply connected to the land that stays with you?
While summering on our boat in Camden Harbor and driving between Searsmont, Maine, and Liberty on Route 173 looking for a place for a walk with our dog, we spotted a “For Sale” sign in the middle of an open 2-3 acre field. It was love at first sight. The rest is history.
📸 Bull moose like this one, photographed by Kay, are frequent visitors to Gibson Preserve and the North Woods and High Peaks of Maine. Creation of public land through private land donations can assure their future existence.
Just Woodpeckers
You’ve protected Maine land you know intimately and land you’ve never seen. What is it about Maine that’s worth conserving?
Dana and I have visited all 50 states and numerous national parks. The vistas which are part of my fondest memories are those where we could look out for miles and not see a smoke stack or a rooftop. Where we could smell the forest and hear the chattering of chipmunks, the cooing of a dove, and the rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker.
📸 Pileated Woodpecker looking for lunch. Gibson Preserve, Searsmont, Maine
Becoming Conservationists
Over the years, you grew thirty acres to 165 acres with over four miles of trails. That’s not an accident; that’s a vision. When did you realize you were building something bigger than a weekend retreat?
It began slowly and selfishly, first with the thirty acres that was ours for only us to enjoy. We made that known by nailing No Trespassing signs along the property lines.
Looking back, was there a pivotal moment when conservation became not just something you supported, but part of your identity?
A few years after we had acquired most of the land, we heard about Georges River Land Trust. Looking back, it is clear that we were early visionaries of what could happen when land owners and land trust-type organizations figured out how to craft property covenants and work together for the common good.
When you first learned about the land trust movement in Maine, what sparked your interest? What made you think, “This is what we should do”?
Probably the simple answer is a realization that if we loved the land and wanted to keep it open as forever wild, we would need to share it, and we would need the help of others to protect it. That’s when we started taking down the No Trespassing Signs and cutting more trails for others to enjoy.
A Lasting Legacy
Dana passed in 2019, but his presence is all through this story. How does seeing Gibson Preserve used by the community keep him alive for you?
For nearly fifty years, Dana and I worked together and devoted our lives to doing for others. Gibson Preserve is part of us and is our living legacy.
You’ve protected land you know intimately at Gibson Preserve, and you’ve also supported the protection of Perham Stream Birding Trail in the High Peaks, a place you’ve never been. How do you think about conservation beyond your own backyard?
Gibson Preserve is protected – forever. But what about places farther inland from the coast? I feel I have an obligation to share our story in the hope that others will consider the future and the best future use of the land they have loved and cherished.
📸 Dana and Bess taking a break while clearing a blowdown. Bess loved the chance to explore.
If you could speak directly to someone who’s considering a legacy gift but hasn’t taken the step yet, what would you tell them?
I would urge them to formulate their “what if” questions and start the conversation. These decisions do not happen overnight. But they won’t happen at all if the first meeting over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate doesn’t take place.
What does it mean to you to be part of a community of people working to protect this region?
It’s exciting to think Dana’s and my story may inspire others who are in a position to leave behind something special for others into the future.
Kay Gibson has never walked the trails at Perham Stream Birding Trail, but she knows what matters: that wild places need protection, that the right organizations can be trusted to do that work, and that ordinary people can create legacies that outlive them.
Her gift to Georges River Land Trust ensures that Gibson Preserve will continue to welcome families, teach children, and honor the memory of Dana and the life they built together. Her support of High Peaks Alliance protects landscapes she may never see but trusts others will cherish.
Kay’s story reminds us that every act of protection begins with a simple decision: to say yes to the land and to trust that others will care for it as deeply as you do. If you’ve been thinking about protecting a place you love through conservation easements, legacy gifts, or joining your local land trust, say yes.
Learn more about Georges River Land Trust, explore the Gibson Preserve, and learn more about our leaving a legacy.
